During the processing, preparation and packaging of food products, the food product may encounter microorganisms which may make the food unsuitable for consumption. The microorganisms may come from the food itself, the food contact surfaces, and/or the surrounding environment. The microorganisms may range from pathogenic microorganisms (e.g. Listeria monocytogenes, Enterohemorraghic Escherichia coli, Salmonella and the like) to spoilage organisms that can affect the taste, color, and/or smell of the final food product (e.g., Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Moraxella, Alcaligenes, Flavobacterium, Erwinia, and the like). Microorganisms can affect a wide variety of food products including meat, poultry, fish and shellfish, cheese, fruits and vegetables, and pre-prepared foods. At certain levels, the presence of microorganisms on a food product may cause everything from a consumer's perception of a lower quality product, to regulatory investigations and sanctions, to food-bourne illness and death.
Food processors use a variety of methods during processing to control and/or reduce the presence of microorganisms on food products. These methods include everything from cleaning and sanitizing the food processing plant environment, applying or incorporating antimicrobials to or in the food product, irradiating the food product, applying heat, and others. Applying or incorporating an antimicrobial composition to or in the food product is a preferred way of controlling microorganisms. However, it is difficult to formulate a composition that is effective at reducing microorganisms using ingredients that are acceptable for direct food contact, according to government regulations. Further, it is difficult to formulate a composition that can be applied directly to a food product without adversely affecting the color, taste, or smell of the food product. Finally, once a food product has been treated with an antimicrobial composition or process to control the presence of microorganisms on the food product, the opportunity exists for the food product to become re-contaminated during further processing.
Food safety agencies have issued guidelines for processing food that may have exposure to surfaces contaminated with microorganisms including Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes), Salmonella, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 (commonly known as E. coli). For example, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) mandates that an establishment producing post-lethality exposed ready-to-eat (RTE) products must control or prevent L. monocytogenes in the processing environment. (See 9 C.F.R. § 430.4 for a listing of the requirements.) L. monocytogenes is a human pathogenic bacterium that occurs widely in both agricultural and food processing environments. L. monocytogenes grows at low oxygen conditions and refrigeration temperatures, and is commonly associated with recalls and outbreaks in ready to eat (RTE) meats and poultry products. Salmonella is another type of pathogenic bacterium that is prevalent on raw poultry, beef and pork. E. coli. is commonly associated with red meat, and contamination may often occur during slaughtering of cattle.
To prevent or reduce bacterial contamination, poultry and other meats are typically washed at any of several steps during the process of converting a live animal to an edible food product. However, a significant number of carcasses may become cross-contaminated during processing, which may include scalding, mechanical processing, and chilling. Moreover, water used for washing the carcasses at various processing stages is often used repeatedly over time. This provides an opportunity for spreading, rather than reducing or preventing, bacterial contamination.
For meat products, later processing steps also provide an opportunity for bacterial contamination and cross-contamination. For example, slicing equipment used for deli meat may become contaminated with bacteria, and then the slicing equipment may spread the bacteria to multiple food products. Even at the consumer level, food products may still become contaminated with bacteria. It is preferred that an antimicrobial or antibacterial treatment is able to continue to function as a bactericide after it is applied to a food product and throughout the shelf life of the food product.
The heightened concerns of consumers over the purity and safety of food products, as well as increased government regulations, has resulted in a need for an improved antibacterial product that may be used to prevent or reduce bacterial contamination at any stage during food processing and on any type of food, including meats, fruits, vegetables, and cheese, without adversely affecting the color, taste or smell of the food. There is a need for the antibacterial product to be usable on non-food surfaces and in other applications where cross-contamination and the spread of bacteria is common.